Something in the Air

There is something in the air, as we close out on Game of Thrones, and it’s not just dragons. It’s a feeling of both excitement and sadness. We finally get the pay off that we all collectively have worked towards over years of faithful viewing.

But along with the ending of a series that we’re so invested in, also comes a sadness that it won’t be there anymore with us. We won’t learn more about our characters or discover new parts of their world. Their story is coming to an end, but ours will continue on. It’s almost akin to the passing of a loved one. We have to find a new normal.

This realization may come in the lead up to the inevitable end or maybe after when you truly register that it is over. These characters feel like friends or family, having them over each week in our homes. This feeling isn’t original to GOT and it won’t be the last. It is uneasy feeling. But in this closing of an era of peak pop culture, it feels different as there is an aspect of change and an unknown of the next communal phenomenon.

With the ending of GOT and a few weeks past the ending of the original phase of MCU, we are losing something more than just a show, and that is the increasingly rare, shared experience. In this bifurcated world, with more choices than ever for our attention, not many properties rise above the level of niche hit. MCU and GOT have each risen (and earned) status of cultural phenomenon and its highest designation within that class of hits. They’ve reached so many people beyond just the active viewing audience, to be in the conscious of everyone worldwide. These endings are receiving all the pomp and circumstance befitting the royal wedding. And it’s wonderful because everyone is buzzing off of and feeding into the energy and love of these shows.

But with all of this big partying around two of the biggest media properties ever, there looms a hangover on the horizon. The come down. The valley of sorrow. The realization that you have to go back to work. “Winter is coming” as they would say on GOT. This is the time, when we have no connective cultural force to all share, both in the pain and joy of a collection of characters we relate to and discuss endless together.

But after the winter, comes the spring, the time of fresh starts and rebirth. Just from watching the HBO’s teasers, they have a lot of diverse and compelling shows in the pipeline. And they aren’t the only ones searching for THE next big hit. A good chance is that none of these shows will grab the public consciousness on a grand scale. But it is possible. There is hope and faith. And that is what is great about the time after MCU and GOT, the clearing out of those at the top for something fresh and new. On the other end of these finales, we have open landscape for something new to build on and grab our imagination.

That can be as exciting and joyful, because when you discover something new, it makes you feel in a way you’ve never felt before and can share in the feeling with others, watching that joy spread. As we come to the end of an era, there is Something in the Air and that something is the endless possibility of the next great cultural phenomenon.